12| Percy Plunges to His Death
We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain. Our reward money for returning Gladiola the poodle had only been enough to purchase tickets as far as Denver. We couldn't get berths in the sleeper car, so we dozed in our seats. I fell asleep listening to Annabeth and Percy talk about a voice in a pit.
One thing I know is that they are talking about Kronos, titan of time. Then they start talking about the Furies, and then Annabeth would leave her father in the Underworld. Then she started to explain her backstory, a little bit. Thalia... you would be happy to see how much Annabeth matured.
Towards the end of our second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, we passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St Louis. Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch.
Annabeth: 'I want to do that.'
Percy: 'What?'
Annabeth: 'Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?'
Percy: 'Only in pictures.'
Annabeth: 'Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods ever. Something that'll last a thousand years.'
Percy: 'You?'
Y/N: 'She wants to be an architect.'
Annabeth: *blushes* 'Yes, an architect.'
They go quite upon realizing I was awake the entire time. We pulled into Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told us we'd have a three-hour stopover before departing for Denver. Grover stretched, before he was fully awake, he looks at us.
Grover: 'Food.'
Annabeth: 'Come on, goat boy. Sightseeing.'
Grover: 'Sightseeing?'
Annabeth: 'The Gateway Arch, this may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?'
Grover, Percy and I exchanged looks. I didn't mind, I just want a hamburger.
Grover: *shrug's* 'As long as there's a snack bar without monsters.'
The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day the lines to get in weren't that long. We threaded our way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other things from the 1800s. Annabeth kept telling us interesting facts about how the Arch was built, and Grover kept passing me and Percy jelly beans, so we was okay.
Percy: *whisper to Grover* 'You smell anything?'
Grover: *sniffs the air* 'Underground. Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything.'
It does I thought, as we walked along.
Percy: 'Guys, you know the gods' symbols of power?'
Y/N and Annabeth: 'Yeah?'
Percy: 'Well, Hades-'
Y/N: 'Percy, our friend downstairs, say that instead of his name.'
Percy: 'Um, right, our friend downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?'
Y/N: 'The Helm of Darkness, his symbol of power, that's the name not just some hat.'
Annabeth: 'Yeah, but his helmet is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if I've heard is true...'
Y/N: 'It allows him to become darkness. He can melt into shadows or pas through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard.'
Grover: 'And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?'
Percy: 'But then... how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?'
Annabeth and Grover exchanged looks, and I look at Percy.
Y/N: 'He's not here, don't worry.'
Percy: 'How do you know?'
Y/N: 'I can sense him; after all I am almost at the same level as the Main Gods.'
Percy: 'Okay, got any more blue jelly beans left?'
I saw the tiny little elevator car we are going to ride to the top of the Arch. We got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog. We started going up, inside the Arch.
Fat Lady: 'No parents?'
Annabeth: 'They're below, scared of heights.'
Fat Lady: 'Oh, the poor darlings.'
The dog growled at us.
Fat Lady: 'Now, now, sonny. Behave,'
Percy: 'Sonny, is that his name?'
Fat Lady: 'No.'
At the top of the Arch is the observation deck. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor. The park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes.
Percy steered Grover, Annabeth and I towards the exit, loaded us into the elevator and he was about to get in but there is already another person in here.
Park-Ranger: 'Next car, sir.'
Annabeth: 'We'll get out, we'll wait with you.'
Percy: 'Naw, it's okay. I'll see you guys at the bottom.'
Grover and Annabeth looked nervous, but they agreed, and the door slide shut. We went down the ramp. As we get out of the car, I hear something going on up where we came from, I look up.
Annabeth: 'What's wrong, Y/N?'
Y/N: 'I hear fighting, above us.'
Grover: 'Where we came from?'
Y/N: '...Yes.'
Both of them get nervous, then people surround the Arch and we walk outside, I look up and I see a hole in the Arch. We start looking for Percy, but no valid. Then we spot Percy amongst the crowd. Grover ran at him.
Grover: 'Perrr-cy!'
He turns around and got tackled by Grover's bear hug – or goat hug.
Grover: 'We thought you'd gone to Hades the hard way!'
Annabeth: 'We can't leave you alone for five minutes! What happened?'
Percy: 'I sort of fell.'
Y/N: 'Percy! Two hundred metres!?'
Medic: 'Gateway!'
The crowd parted and I grad the three and dragged them away from this mess. Percy then started to explain what's happened, the Chimera, Echidna, his high-dive death, the underwater lady message. What an idiot.
Grover: 'Whoa! We've got to get you to Santa Monica! You can't ignore a summons from your dad.'
Annabeth: 'That's right, we've got to get going.'
Y/N: 'Well, let's get a move on.'
We made it back to Amtrak station without being spotted. We get on a board the train just before it pulled out for Denver. The train trundle west as the darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St Louis skyline behind us.
